


Growing Family

by ladyredharn



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-12 18:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21480724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyredharn/pseuds/ladyredharn
Summary: Bobby and MC are living together and have recently adopted a puppy.
Relationships: Bobby/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	1. Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> Something that has been floating around in my head. Finally got it written and wanted to share.

"Bobby, you have to stop feeding him cupcakes." I scold as I scrub the carpet for the third time this week after our adorable Eclair had yarfed all over the place. 

Bobby pouts a bit at this, holding the puppy in his arms and squeezing him tighter protectively. "But he likes them."

I sigh, "Babe, they aren't good for him. I know providing baked goods is part of your love language but they aren't good for puppies even if he enjoys them in the moment."

"Alright, alright. I'll stop giving him cupcakes. What about cookies?"

I let out an exasperated laugh. "You are impossible, you know that?"

Bobby grins at me. "Impossibly handsome? Yes, I think I did know that Lass."

I can't keep the smile from my lips as I finish up with the carpet and heave myself to a standing position, moving toward my two boys and wrapping my arms around Bobby's waist, squishing Eclair between us. The puppy licks my face, which is now in reach, enthusiastically. I laugh, reaching up to rub him behind his ears before standing on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on Bobby's lips. 

"I've got to go get ready for work now." I turn to walk down the hallway toward the bedroom, wagging a finger behind me as I do. "I mean it, Bobby. No more cupcakes."

I see his face in the mirror as he grins conspiratorially at Eclair before setting him down softly on the floor. "You've got no chill, lad. If you could just handle your cupcakes we wouldn't be in this mess."

I smile as I step into the bedroom and close the door behind me. 

\---

I walk in the apartment later that day and am welcomed by the smell of bread baking. I inhale deeply, hearing the familiar beat of Cardi B's "Best Life" coming from the kitchen. That must mean things were going well with the new hire at the bakery if Bobby beat me home and had managed to get bread in the oven already.

I hang my coat and drop my purse and work tote on the bench by the door, kicking off my shoes as I follow my nose toward the smell. 

He has a pot going on the stove, and it looks like the start of chili. I tip the lid and lean down to take a sniff. 

"Hey now, you're letting all the good stuff out." He calls from the doorway and I turn with a guilty look on my face. 

"Sorry, was just seeing what you had planned for dinner." I go to him and wrap him in a hug, he plants a kiss on the top of my head. 

"How was your day, Lass?" He asks as he reaches over to grab Eclair's water bowl from the floor, taking it to refill in the sink.

"Not bad, things are finally slowing down now that we have the big account finalized. Should be smooth sailing from here." I say before remembering the gift I had picked up today. "Oh! I have something for you, babe!"

I hurry back to the bench and rifle through my work tote until I find what I am searching for. I hold the item in my hands and hide it behind my back while I return to the kitchen. Bobby is stirring the pot and he drops the spoon on the counter and replaces the lid carefully. He wipes his hands on the kitchen towel and smirks at me. 

"A gift then? Did I forget a special date?" His smirk falters and his brow furrows with a bit of worry before I shake my head smiling. 

"No, nothing like that. I just saw this in the store today and knew you had to have it."

"Oh, one of those just because gifts? Let's see it." He holds out his hand.

I pause, considering. "Hmm... maybe you should have to work for it a bit? I'm not feeling very appreciated for my excellent gift giving idea." 

He grins, grabbing my hips in his hands and pulling me close. He leans down to kiss my neck and whispers, "You are the best at gifts, MC. In more ways than one." He nibbles my ear until I finally giggle and bring the book from behind my back, holding it up for him to see. 

The book is titled "Baking For Your Dog" and the cover has a photo of puppy that could have been Eclair's twin with an array of delicious looking treats arranged in front of him. 

"Ah, Lass! This is the best!" His grin reaches his eyes as he is clearly thrilled. 

"I know you were bummed about me banning Eclair from eating your cupcakes. I thought this might be a good substitute." I smile, over the moon that he was so excited about this. I had hoped he would be, but then I had thought maybe he would think it was silly or stupid.

He wraps me in his arms again, this time kissing me deeply, pressing all of me to him as he leans back against the counter top. He sets the book down on the surface beside him, freeing his hands to settle on my lower back, his fingers playing with the hem of my shirt, grazing the bare skin underneath. Enough to make me shiver in response. I break our kiss and rest my forehead against his, still smiling.

"This is perfect, Lass. You are perfect." 

I'll never get tired of hearing him say that.


	2. The Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An honest mistake.

"Lass, are you watching cat videos again?" I hear the voice from the kitchen as I try to hold in my sobs. Apparently I wasn't doing a very good job at having my cry quietly.

"No..." I sniffle, trying to make my voice sound steady. 

His head pops around the doorway and his gold-hazel gaze studies me carefully. I'm sure I look like a complete and utter mess in my hoodie, snuggled up under a blanket on the couch. My eyes red and puffy and my sleeves wet with snot and tears. The laptop giving my face a bluish hint in the dark room. 

"MC, why do you do this to yourself?" He sighs, moving to sit next to me on the sofa and take a look at my laptop screen.

"Sometimes it just feels good to have a cry. Alone. Where no one can see how ugly your crying is." I cover my face with my hands. As he leans in to peer closer at what had me so emotional. 

"Not cat videos then. Pictures of... old people?" His brown creases as he tries to make sense of this. "Are you feeling your mortality already, Lass? Twenty-six seems a bit early for that." He teases. 

I shake my head. "No, no. They aren't just old people. Look. This photographer is doing engagement style photoshoots with elderly couples. Isn't that just so..." I can't finish before my throat feels tight again. The photo on the screen was of an elderly couple, the woman perched on his lap as he holds her close, her hands resting tenderly against his face. It was so adorable it made my chest hurt. It made me wonder if Bobby and I could do that someday when our future kids were grown and gone. If we could still be that happy and in love after all of that time. This thought made me both afraid about someday being old and excited about someday growing old with Bobby after the fullness of a live well lived.

Bobby smiles at me, clearly still not quite understanding why I was crying. But he doesn't push it any further. He simply wraps me in his arms and pulls me toward him, planting a kiss at my temple. "Alright then, Lass. As long as you're okay I suppose I'll leave you to have your cry in peace."

He stands and moves to return to the kitchen, the sweet scent of baking sweets now wafting into the living room. He slows at the door, throwing one last glance at me over his shoulder, "Just so you know, you aren't ugly when you cry." He winks, smiles and disappears back into the kitchen. 

Eclair runs into the room and leaps up onto the couch next to me, wriggling and licking at my face. I laugh, giving him a good rub behind the ears. "How is your Daddy so perfect?" 

After I compose myself and finish my much needed cry, I climb off the couch and out of my dark hideaway to see what Bobby was up to in the kitchen. It smells amazing and I see rows of tasty looking cookies lined up on cooling racks. Bobby has his back turned and is pulling another batch out of the oven. Quietly I pick up one cookie from the corner of the rack.

"MC! What are you doing?" Bobby calls from behind me as he sees what I'm doing. 

I turn to face him, "Are these something special?"

"MC... those are..." He starts but before he can finish I have taken a bite. I chew it thoughtfully and he raises an eyebrow studying me carefully. It's sweet but not what I was expecting. I chew a bit more and a look of realization crosses my face.

"These are for the dog aren't they?" I ask.

"Yes, Lass. They are." Bobby starts laughing as I cover my face in shame. He pulls me against him into a hug before taking the cookie from my hands and taking a bite himself. "There, now I've done it too. And really, they aren't half bad. Hopefully the little lad likes them."

Eclair has now returned to the kitchen and is jumping at our legs wanting to be included in our hug. Bobby releases me and bends to pick him up before grabbing another treat from the cooling rack to feed to him. The puppy sniffs it carefully before snapping the entire thing from Bobby's fingers. 

"Careful mate, the biscuit, not my fingers." He sets Eclair back on the floor. "I think that's a win all around then."

"I can't believe I ate a dog biscuit." I say.

Bobby smirks. "The batch I just pulled out are cookies for humans. I didn't forget about you, MC. I knew you'd need something sweet after your cry was over."

"Thank goodness." I carefully grab a chocolate chip cookie from the pan Bobby had just taken out of the oven and quickly work on getting the rest of the batch onto another cooling rack while I chew. Bobby wraps his arms around my waist as I work, resting his chin on my shoulder. 

"Feeling better now, Lass?" he whispers the question against my hair. I reach down and wrap my fingers around his forearm.

"Much better." I reply.


	3. Lemon Cupcake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bobby got a tattoo and MC isn't thrilled.

"Alright so what is the big surprise?" I ask, setting my bag down on the bench. 

Bobby is practically quivering with excitement. He had texted me earlier that morning telling me he had something "huge" to surprise me with when I got home from work.

"Sit down Lass. I'll show you." He points to the chair in the corner and I obediently go and sit down, feeling my own hands start to shake. I thought I might know what is coming next. 

But then, he reaches for the collar of his shirt and starts undoing the buttons. "Bobby, really? I wasn't expecting you to text me in the middle of the day for this sort of surprise." I feel my hands still and I smile. This was something I was never nervous about.

He shakes his head and gives me a serious look. "No, get your mind out of the gutter MC." He pulls aside the shirt over the left side of his chest revealing a white bandage. I gasp.

"You did not." My eyes are wide as he peels back the bandage revealing the fresh ink of a tattoo.

"I did." He grins. 

\---

"Chels, he tattooed my name on his body. Why wouldn't I be freaked out?" I ask, taking a long swig of my gin and tonic. We were out at our favorite bar for a much needed girl's night.

"He got a lemon cupcake tattoo and put your name under it, MC. I think it's so sweet." She pats me on the shoulder. "Besides, you guys have been together for awhile now, you seem solid. Why are you worried?"

"It's bad luck. To have someone's name tattooed on you. I've always thought so." I reply. "And it's not just that, Chelsea. I was also just a little disappointed."

"You wanted to be a chocolate cupcake?" She nods knowingly.

I laugh and shake my head. All day after he'd sent me that message I had been trying to figure out what could have him so excited. 

The only solution my mind could come up with was an engagement ring. It would be typical of Bobby not to be able to make a proposal a complete surprise. He was never very good at keeping secrets, not from me anyway. I wasn't sure how I felt about getting engaged at first. But the longer I thought about it the more excited I had become. 

Bobby and I had been together for nearly two years, we had been living together almost half that time. We had Eclair. We had plans for the future. Of course I would be thrilled if he wanted to marry me. I wanted to marry him.

"I thought he was going to propose." I admit. Chelsea gasps.

"O. M. G. _What_?!" The shock on her face melts into concern when she realizes that was, in fact, not what happened. "Aw, sugar. I'm sorry."

"The worst part is I don't feel like I can talk to him about it. I don't want him to feel pressure to pop the question, you know? And when it does happen I don't want there to be any doubt that it's because he wants to marry me." I press my face into my hands, at a loss. 

Chelsea takes a sip of her drink, her brow furrowed in thought. "MC, that boy is crazy about you. He just tattooed your _name_ on his _body_. That's pretty permanent. I don't think he's going to run for the hills knowing you are thinking about another kind of permanence to your relationship."

She was right. I knew she was right. This was my anxiety talking and not reality.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow, Chelsea, I promise." I squeeze her shoulder and give her a grateful smile. "For now, let's try to enjoy the rest of our girl's night. What's new with you?"  
  
"Well, Henrik and I are still doing _so_ great. It was so amazing that we were able to reconnect at the reunion last year." She beams, her eyes looking a little wistful. "Though of course things are going pretty slow with the long distance. Work is wonderful. Oh! I have to tell you about this project I just started on!"

The rest of the evening flies by as Chelsea regales me with her vivid interior design stories and we laugh together, catching up for the first time in months. I had missed her.

\---

A few hours later I call a cab and stumble into our apartment still a little buzzed from the gin. I find Bobby in our bedroom, lying in bed, his phone in his hand and his finger moving as he searches for something. He grins as he sees me and tosses the phone aside holding out his arms and I collapse into his embrace, pressing my cheek against his bare chest.  
  
"I'm so glad you are home." He presses a kiss to my curls. "How's Chelsea doing?"  
  
I don't answer and instead reach up and gently peel back the bandage over his tattoo. I lean up and inspect it more closely before pressing a gentle kiss to his skin. "I'm sorry I wasn't more excited before, Bobby."  
  
"Hey, it's alright. I know it was kind of a crazy thing to do." He shrugs but his eyes are now studying me with concern. "Are you okay, Lass?"  
  
I nod my head and start to speak but traitorous tears spring to my eyes. I press my eyes shut, hoping he hadn't seen and hoping my lashes could keep the tears trapped.   
  
"You aren't okay. What's the matter, MC?" He presses me further.   
  
"I just... when I got that text this morning... I spent all day thinking about it. I thought it was going to be a different surprise, that's all." I answer him but I can't bring myself to actually say the words _I thought you were going to propose._

"Shit. I'm sorry, Lass. I should have known you would have been trying to work out what the surprise would be." He pauses, "And I should have known what you would likely conclude from trying to do that." His face reddens and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me tight to him. "I'm sorry, that was a shit thing to do to you."  
  
I shake my head. "No, no. You shouldn't have to anticipate every thought I might have, Bobby. And I don't want you to feel like I'm expecting anything."

He scoffs at this. "You don't know what you're talking about." He sits up, shifting me off of him as he gets off the bed and strides toward his dresser, opening the top drawer and taking something out, cupping it in his hands as he turns back to the bed and my quizzical expression. "I've had this for awhile now. Was just trying to find the right time and the best way and the most memorable story. But right now the most important thing is you never doubt how I feel about you. Ever."  
  
He returns to the bed and moves his hand to reveal a delicate ring with a round diamond solitaire. "MC, I love you. I will always love you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"  
  
The tears spill out now, running down my face as I manage to squeak out a yes before his arms engulf me in a tight hug and his lips find mine. Our kiss salty from my tears. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my life.


End file.
